Final weekend, tons of of hearty cyclists lined as much as tackle the Mt. Washington Hill Climb. Amongst them was former World Tour rider turned gravel professional, Pete Stetina. This annual hill climb problem occurs simply annually and is usually the one day the Mt. Washington Auto Highway is open to cyclists. Gaining ~4,700 toes of elevation in 7.6 miles with a median grade of 12% and a max of twenty-two%, this climb is undoubtedly one of many hardest within the U.S.
This yr, Pete Stetina made this climb one in every of his main targets for the season. In reality, again in January, Pete’s race calendar had “document try” listed for the month of August. It appears he set his intention early, and making an attempt to interrupt the all-time and present hill climb information was clearly one thing he had his sights on all yr. In reality, he was notably absent from the Leadville race this yr in favor of coaching for this very particular problem.
Why? Pete’s dad and former skilled bicycle owner, Dale Stetina, held the document up Mt. Washington from 1980 to 1997. Biking runs within the household, clearly, and Pete wished to construct on the household legacy and add his identify to the listing of document holders on this legendary mountain. And if anybody might do it, it’s Pete. He was a climbing specialist in his World Tour days and has since develop into one of many high gravel racers within the U.S. and the world. He has been a mainstay within the Lifetime Grand Prix and is a podium risk in nearly each race he enters.
Pete set his sights excessive and entered the occasion with the aim of beating not solely the present document but additionally the all-time document. In 2002, the all-time document of 49:24 was set by Tom Danielson. In 2022, nevertheless, the race organizers wiped the slate clear and reset the information after making modifications to the highway floor. Since then, Phil Gaimon has held the present document of fifty:38.
Becoming a member of Pete at this occasion was fellow gravel racer — additionally a former World Tour professional — Ian Boswell. The 2 took the problem on collectively however individually. Finally, it wasn’t Pete’s day. He says he held the document tempo for 60% of the climb, however a nagging sickness resulted in a little bit of an off day. On Pete’s Instagram, he mentioned, “To have a dreaded off day on THE day sucks: time waits for nobody. To confess this failure after publicly asserting my intention cuts even deeper.”
Boswell, nevertheless, managed to complete in 50:18, twenty seconds forward of the present/trendy document held for the previous few years by Gaimon. Whereas Pete might not have claimed the document this time, his ending time of 51:38 is nothing to scoff at. By my calculations, that works out to a median of ~1.5 toes per second and ~91 toes per minute. Say what???
Reaching such a feat entails plenty of very intense and particular coaching. Pete reportedly even dropped his weight all the way down to a really svelte 136 kilos — at 5’11”. However on high of coaching exhausting and dropping weight, Pete, alongside together with his mechanic Massive Tall Wayne, additionally created a really light-weight and climbing-specific bike to tackle this problem. They stripped his bike all the way down to what he calls “a pure climbing equipment.”
I’ve recognized Massive Tall Wayne since he was in highschool, working on the native bike store in my previous hometown. I reached out to him, and he put me in contact with Pete, who was completely happy to share a gallery of motorbike images and a few of the distinctive particulars that went into his Mt. Washington Hill Climb bike.
Pete’s Canyon Final CFR – Hill Climb Version
Pete informed me, “Mainly, Wayne and I dove into it with the aim of chopping weight wherever possible whereas nonetheless sustaining sponsor obligations.” Ultimately, they created a novel bike that’s actually solely good at one factor, and that’s going up hill as rapidly as attainable. And with none UCI restrictions, they didn’t want to stick to the 14.99-pound (6.8 kg) minimal weight restrict.
Pete is sponsored by Canyon, so he selected the model’s lightest and most climbing-oriented body, the Final CFR.
He informed me that he “determined contact factors wanted to remain the identical.” That meant he saved the identical saddle (vs. a superlight one with no padding) and the identical shifter buttons as a result of “don’t need to take into consideration shifting however reasonably maintain it second nature.”
Other than the hoods and shifters, nevertheless, they reduce the drops off the handlebar and skipped the bar tape in an effort to shave valuable grams.
One other weight-saving measure included drilling small holes into the aluminum derailleur hanger. Additionally they selected to tape the Di2 battery to the chainstay, lowering weight in comparison with the usual inner {hardware}.
Pete caught with 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, however opted for a single chainring. He didn’t specify, but it surely seems to be a 36-tooth ring, which is sensible for such a steep climb.
In a transfer that clearly reveals this bike is meant to solely go uphill, they eliminated the rear brake and brake rotor. Seeing a motorcycle and not using a rear brake is a visit.
Light-weight Dura-Ace C36 wheels have been clad with IRC System Professional Pace Edge 28c tires. Additionally they opted for light-weight Robert Axle through axles and lighter bolts wherever attainable.
Ultimately, Pete and Wayne bought the bike all the way down to a really spectacular 13.14 kilos (5.96 kg). It’s really a one-of-a-kind construct, and one that may even get used once more. Pete informed me, “I really feel some unfinished enterprise and can seemingly return now to proper my wrongs.”
Till then, we want Pete all the very best for the remainder of this race season, together with the upcoming Gravel Worlds.
peterstetina.com
